Project Nightwing
by The Feisty Rogue
Summary: Trench warfare was a grim waiting game, hoping the other side would exhaust themselves before the wards broke or the opportunity came to launch a counterattack.


_A/N: Please be aware that this takes place after Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find them and ignores everything that happened in Crimes of Grindelwald._

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**Project Nightwing**

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Theseus tugged up the collar of his coat and clutched his wand in his hand as he watched the German wizards assault the French ward line. Trench warfare was a grim waiting game, hoping the other side would exhaust themselves before the wards broke or the opportunity came to launch a counterattack.

The Germans had only just started their attack, but there was something about the fervour of their spellcasting that made Theseus's gut twist with wary anticipation.

In the distance, there was a mighty flash of light, as if lightning had struck the line of the enemy wizards. Theseus tensed, squinting into the dark.

Seconds later, there was a mighty boom and a crack appeared along the French ward line. A jagged golden fracture arced through the pale blue wards, originating from the source of the light.

"Merde!"

"Il est là!"

"C'est lui!"

The French defence burst into a flurry of action, even as the wards shattered above them. Orders were called too quickly for Theseus to understand in another language, enormous shimmering shields blooming to life as units readied themselves to attack, and messenger owls flew up and down the trenches in silent flight.

Theseus caught the arm of a French wizard dashing past him, his wand orchestrating a zoo of animals transfigured from dirt to prowl above and protect the front.

"Quoi?"

"Who?" Theseus growled. "Who is it?"

"Le Seigneur des Ténèbres!"

When Theseus only offered him a baffled look, the wizard hissed and spat on the ground.

"Grindelwald," he said, his accent thick.

Theseus released him, staggering back. The wizard raced off, creatures still exploding from the dirt before him.

That couldn't be right. Grindelwald couldn't be so powerful, not so soon.

Gathering himself, Theseus tapped his wand three times against his palm, then raised his hand and cupped it to his mouth. He spoke, the magic relaying his voice to the other witches and wizards connected to his spell.

"This is Thestral. Gryffin, report. Over."

"The front line is chaos. _Bombarda!_ The ward's decaying from the centre, spreading out. We have minutes before the entire front's exposed. Over!"

Theseus bit back a curse and eyed the battle beyond. German wizards were overwhelming the Allied forces with furious spellcasting. They'd obviously been anticipating Grindlewald's arrival and had taken advantage of it. _Bugger!_

Theseus returned his attention to his team, determined to find a way to beat the Germans back.

"Occamy, what's happening? Over."

"We're doing what we can, but Grindelwald blasted the ward scheme to hell! I've never seen anything like it. There's no way we'll be able to get the wards back up before the Germans get through. Over."

Merlin! It was time to call in the big guns, so to speak.

"Sphinx, we need authorisation for Project Nightwing. Can you confirm? Over."

"I'm working on it, Thestral! Over!"

"Salamander, what can you see? Have you activated Nightwing? Over."

"Nightwing activated! And, err, too dark to tell! The moment we get permission, we'll be coming in hot. Over."

Theseus took a moment to massage his temples. When his department had been directed to scout out the front line, he hadn't anticipated being there long enough to get involved with the fighting. They were only meant to be laying the groundwork for the UK's latest weapons program, not initiating it. However, it seemed that it would be needed today. Thank Merlin their camp and Project Nightwing were only a few miles out.

"Alright, keep it up, team. Sphinx, I'm coming to you. Over."

Theseus gripped the amulet around his neck that keyed him into the wards, turned on one foot, and Apparated. Only the highest-ranking officials in Britain and France had been gifted an Apparition Amulet; they couldn't afford to have soldiers fleeing from the front line.

He appeared inside the command tent, fifty feet back from the fighting. Leta was there, arguing with the French Minister for Magic.

"Claude, what's the delay?" he bellowed, striding forward. He nodded a greeting to Leta, but focused on the politician.

Claude Bernard turned on him with a frown. "My Curse Breakers say they can get the wards back up. I cannot authorise your nonsense plan!"

"Look!" Theseus jabbed his wand at the ceiling of the tent, Transfiguring it translucent. The shattered ward gleamed above them, splintering further as they spoke. "The ward is gone or will be soon. What if Grindelwald casts that spell again? We'll be exposed, vulnerable, and underprepared."

"He cannot. No man could. It was too powerful."

"Before today, we didn't think that any man could do what he just did! Who's to say that he can't do it again? He's getting more powerful every day!"

"Who's to say that your plan will work? It didn't in the last war."

Theseus growled.

"In the last war, I wasn't in charge of it. Instead, that idiot Yaxley was." He softened, pointing at the fighting beyond. "Our men are out there dying, right now. Let's push them back while we still can."

After a moment, Bernard sagged. "Very well. But on your head be it, should the Massacre of Paris happen again."

"It won't," Theseus promised. He wouldn't let it.

Taking a breath, Theseus cast a privacy ward about himself. He bloody well hoped that Newt knew what he was doing. He raised his hand to his mouth, activating the message spell once more.

"Salamander, Project Nightwing is go! Light the buggers up. Over."

"Confirmed! Over!"

Dismissing the surrounding commotion, Theseus exited the tent, Leta coming to stand beside him. While Claude organised his Aurors, Theseus focused on the battlefield, watching as the Allied wizards were beaten back.

"This could be a mistake," Leta said. "Last time…"

"Last time they were too ambitious. I'm not so foolish to think that we can control dozens of them, just one. This time, we've got to trust Newt."

"If anyone can do it, it's Newt," Leta agreed. She reached out and Theseus captured her hand in his own.

A strange whistling noise reached Theseus's ears, echoing down from above. He looked up, narrowing his gaze at the sky. Low cloud cover hid the moon and the stars, and anything else that might be in the air.

"There!" Leta cried.

Theseus followed her gaze, but couldn't see a thing. Still, he trusted her instincts.

A wild gust of air blew over the command tent and the ground trembled as the creature above them released a bellowing roar.

"Josephine—Attack!" boomed his brother's voice, enhanced with a Sonorous Charm.

Suddenly, the battlefield was lit with a wash of fire as an azure-scaled dragon scorched the first line of the German offence. Witches and wizards were flamed indiscriminately, some incinerated in seconds, others on the edge of the fire not so lucky. The cries as they burned alive were desperate and agonised.

"He's going to hate himself, tomorrow," Leta said, as they watched the Swedish Short-Snout terrorise Grindelwald's forces. Her voice trembled and Theseus swallowed, forcing himself not to look away. He'd done this. He'd ordered this.

Even as the Germans screamed, the Allied forces began to cheer. Wizards that had been penned into the trenches, caught by surprise by the ward scheme shattering, were fighting their way free and routing the German attackers. Spellfire splashed across the battle, duels beginning once more.

"He's done it, he's bloody done it," bellowed Gryffin. "They're running scared, boys!"

"Gryffin, stay off the line!" Theseus snapped. "Salamander, bring her around for a second sweep. Over."

"Thestral… are you sure? Over." Newt's voice over the spell was reedy and quiet over the sound of rushing wind.

"Salamander, you have your orders. Over."

Leta squeezed his hand as Theseus took a breath and sighed. War was a bloody business and Newt was the most kindhearted man he knew.

If only he wasn't the only one who could tame the dragons long enough to point them in the right direction. Even with them, in the war against Grindelwald, it was going to be a long and bloody fight.

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_QLFC Round 7 Captain Prompt: write about someone in charge of something/someone._

_Word Count: 1338_

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_Translating the French:_

_"Merde!" - Shit!_

_"Il est là!" - He's here!_

_"C'est lui!" - It's him!_

_"Quoi?" - What?_

_"Le Seigneur des Ténèbres!" - The Dark Lord!_


End file.
